VI
EN
Start your day with a bowl of Hue-style beef noodle soup.
Hue usually starts very early. After a night's rain, the sun shines brightly, and a gentle breeze rustles through the trees along the Perfume River. The streets aren't too crowded yet, but the breakfast stalls are already bustling with calls, the clinking of ladles against pots, and the aroma of hot broth filling the air.
On Phan Chu Trinh Street, Ms. Loan's beef noodle soup stall is nestled beside the street, opposite a lush green area by the river. Smoke continuously rises from the broth pot. Ms. Loan sits in front of the stall, nimbly scooping golden-brown crab cakes into bowls and then pouring in the rich, flavorful broth.
For the people of Hue, mornings often begin with steaming, fragrant pots of broth.
Bun bo Hue (Hue-style beef noodle soup) in Hue itself has a very distinctive character. The noodles are thin and soft, and in the bowl are slices of firm pork leg, square pieces of blood pudding, and a broth that is both sweet from the bones and spicy, with the fragrant aroma of lemongrass.
O Loan's beef noodle soup restaurant is crowded with customers early in the morning.
People in Hue love spicy food, so there are always various kinds of chili peppers on the table, from chili paste to pickled fresh chilies, accompanied by a basket of fresh green vegetables as an indispensable part of the meal. Each person seasons the dish according to their own taste, resulting in a bowl of vermicelli soup that is rich in flavor in its own unique way.
A bowl of bun bo (beef noodle soup) at O Loan's restaurant comes with pork trotters, crab cakes, blood pudding, and three types of chili peppers, served with fresh vegetables.
Also along that same road, Co Hue's snakehead fish noodle soup stall is another equally bustling morning stop.
In the small eatery, the owners work in a rhythmic manner, as if they've known each other for a long time: the husband cuts the noodles, the wife adds the vegetables, arranges the fish, and then pours in the broth. A steaming bowl of banh canh (Vietnamese rice noodle soup) sits on the table, soothing the hunger of the early morning. The broth is sweet and savory, the snakehead fish is firm and chewy, and the noodles are just the right softness; each bite warms the body. Just add a little spicy chili and the flavors of Hue come alive.
The taste of Hue in a simple home-cooked meal.
Besides its famous dishes, what makes many people remember Hue for longer is sometimes a simple home-cooked meal.
In a small, family-run restaurant in Hue, a clay pot of rice is served piping hot, fragrant with the aroma of freshly cooked rice. Beside it are a plate of boiled pork with bright red chili sauce, a bowl of refreshing sweet potato leaf soup, golden fried eggs, fragrant fish stew with pepper, and a flavorful pork stew with bamboo shoots and fish sauce.
A meal with authentic Hue flavors, cooked by a Hue family.
The meal is simple in its presentation, and doesn't require expensive ingredients, yet everything on the table is complete and flavorful. It's a familiar feeling; simply sitting down, one easily feels like they've returned to a familiar kitchen, where mother's home-cooked meals are served and time seems to slow down.
Simple, traditional snacks for lunch.
Hue at midday has its characteristic intense but unhurried sunshine. In that stifling heat, spring rolls and grilled dishes become unusually appealing.
A table laden with grilled pork rice rolls, grilled pork vermicelli, and grilled pork skewers (nem lụi) appeared in vibrant colors. The golden-brown skewers, fragrant with the aroma of charcoal, were served alongside fresh green vegetables, cool cucumbers, and tangy sliced mangoes. All were wrapped in soft rice paper and dipped generously into a rich, savory fish sauce. The salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors blended together, awakening all the senses on a hot summer afternoon in Hue.
Hue-style grilled pork skewers are wrapped with various green vegetables and rice paper.
Banh ep (pressed cake) is a familiar snack in Hue, from rural villages to small towns. The cake is pressed on a hot mold, the thin, chewy crust encasing a filling of meat, egg, or shredded pork. Served with fresh vegetables and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, the combination creates a delicious, soft, rich, and fragrant flavor that is unforgettable.
Pressed rice cakes with a variety of fillings for customers to choose from.
Then there's bánh nậm – a small cake that embodies the exquisite flavors of Hue. The cake is neatly wrapped in green leaves, revealing a soft, thin layer of rice flour dough topped with a fragrant, orange-red shrimp and meat filling flavored with pepper. Just a small bite, but the delicious taste lingers on the tongue for a long time.
These seemingly simple dishes actually preserve the subtle and sophisticated soul of old Hue.
Banh nam embodies the distinctive and refined characteristics of Hue cuisine.
An afternoon dedicated to salted coffee.
When the sun is less intense, Hue slows down in its own unique way.
The city enters the afternoon with cool green spaces, less traffic, and the murmur of conversations in cafes. It's also the time when many people choose to stop for a cup of salted coffee – a drink that has become a signature of Hue's cuisine.
Salted coffee is a drink originating from Hue and has now become a specialty of the ancient capital.
The coffee is rich and slightly bitter, blended with a subtle salty taste and a smooth, creamy foam on top. This flavor is both familiar and unique, rustic yet profound, much like Hue itself. Not overpowering, but subtle enough to linger in memory for a long time.
To end the day, people often seek out a tea stall.
A tray of Hue-style sweet soups is brought out with dozens of tiny bowls, each with a different color and flavor. There's mung bean sweet soup, corn sweet soup, taro sweet soup, lotus seed sweet soup, longan sweet soup with lotus seeds… and even tapioca pearl sweet soup with roasted pork – a dish that intrigues many people the first time they hear its name. The sweet, salty, and rich flavors blend together in the small bowl, unusual yet captivating.
A tray of Hue-style sweet soups with various types of sweet soups and toppings.
Hue cuisine has always been like this, captivating people with its meticulous attention to detail, its rich yet subtle flavors, and its simplicity evident in both the cooking methods and the way it's enjoyed.
And so, when they leave Hue, some people remember the Perfume River, the moss-covered tiled roofs, and the sudden rain showers. But for many, what lingers longest is sometimes just a taste, enough to make them want to return again.
